Display container



Jan. 11, 1944. V p, R B AL 2,339,112

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed July 12, 1940 INVENTORJ;

5 I v Paul lfoerfo' 7rd ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY CONTAINERporation of Ohio Application July 12, 1940, Serial No. 345,126

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a folding display carton, usually made ofcorrugated board, which is adapted either for shipping or for displaypurposes without requiring repacking of the contents, and is animprovement upon the invention of one of the present applicants, PaulRoberts, disclosed in Patent No. 2,168,240 issued August 1, 1939. Thepresent invention, like that of the previous patent, relates to a cartonhaving a top which can be raised to become a display back, and sidewings which join the back and so form display sides. The presentinvention is directed to means for better displaying samples of themerchandise in the carton and for keeping the back and sides uprightwhen set up for display, irrespective of the amount of merchandise inthe carton.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the carton, with any form of the presentinvention applied thereto, closed and sealed ready for storage or ship-P Fig. 2 is a perspective of a carton set up for display, using one formof the present invention;

Fig. 3 shows the carton of Fig. 2 in a position part way between closedand opened;

Fig. 4 is an interior transverse vertical section on plane 4-4 of Fig.2; and

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section through the closed lid and wings,plane 5-5, Fig. 1.

The present improved carton in its general appearance and organizationis similar to that of Patent No. 2,168,240, having a conventional bottomconstruction to which no reference characters are applied in the presentdisclosure, a back I, sides 2, drop front, wings, back and a top lap.The drop front comprises a permanent panel 4 and a movable or drop panel5, having a top lap 6 (herein conveniently shown as a full lap) bendablyattached to its outer edge, said lap being adapted either to fit as atop lid of the box when closed or to fit under the box when open fordisplay, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively.

The display features comprise a single piece back 8 and side wings eachcomposed of panels 9 and i0 hinged respectively to an edge of the backand the top of a side 2 and interconnected by a fold line H so as tocollapse inwardly when the lid is lowered, as shown in Fig. 5.

In the container of Patent No. 2,168,240 it was contemplated that thepanels of the side wings would be held flat and upright, that isvertical, by means of merchandise packed against them, since the wingshave some tendency to bend inward on account of the set given thecorrugated board along the line H. In order to insure that the top willstand up with the wings flat and vertical irrespective of whether or notthere is merchandise to hold up the wings or the back, we have devisedfastening locks for the corners between wing and back which will beeffective whether the display carton is full or empty.

In the form shown in Fig. 2 the lock comprises tabs I 4 and 15respectively of any convenient shape; quarter circles are shown. Thelarger tabs M are made by cuts through back 8 around the entire tabexcept for one horizontal edge I4 which constitutes a permanent hinge. Avertical edge M" is on the fold line between back 8 and panel 9, so thatwhen the tab I4 is set down horizontally it holds the wing againstcollapsing. At the same time tab l4 forms a small shelf on whichindividual items of merchandise M, Fig. '2, from the contents of thecarton, may be set, but the lock is efiective whether or not the tabsare used as shelves. A smaller tab l5, cut from the wing, verticallyhinged as at l5, and with upper horizontal edge I5" at the level ofhinge I4, is swung inward to provide a rest for tab I4.

Since there are no parts to be removed, these tabs l4 and I5 are part ofthe blank and do not add any more pieces nor make the blank any morecomplex except for the necessary cuts to allow the tabs to swing. Thuswhen the box is closed the tabs [4 and I5 simply lie in the respectivepanels to which they belong.

What we claim is:

In a display container comprising four upright walls, a bottom, a backwhich constitutes a top element when the container is closed, foldableside wings each attached to an end of said back and to the top of theadjacent side, said back and wings standing upright when set up fordisplay, a locking tab cut out of said back and horizontally hinged tosaid back along one edge but out free therefrom on all other edges, saidtab being disposed horizontally when back and wings are set up fordisplay and when so disposed forming a shelf having one free edgeabutting the inner face of the adjacent wing; a supporting tab for saidlocking tab, said supporting tab being'spaced from the vertical junctionof said wing and said back and being cut out of said wing on all but oneside and hinged to said wing along a vertical line on said one side withthe upper extremity of said supporting tab at the level of thehorizontal position of said locking tab.

PAUL ROBERTS. JOHN W. WHITE.

